While we would not want to discourage anyone from reading this useful and important book, we can summarize its main points quite concisely. Mr. Schatzki's extensively footnoted and well-supported argument is that the supposed "obesity epidemic" that we hear so much about is focused on a tangential question as regards public health and is a meme largely driven by the weight-loss industry, the scientists it supports, and a sensationalist news media just looking for a scary story. Contrary to these dire warnings, Mr. Schatzki demonstrates that reliable science shows that many people may be clinically obese but be fit enough that their weight is not a health problem. Indeed, their fitness means that, despite their weight, they should be considered healthy.

The most important consideration here is that to be considered fit a person needs to be walking about 10,000 steps a day. As a point of reference, even the average, sedentary person walks about 4,000. So what we're talking about is adding about three miles of walking per day if you're just such a couch potato--doing at least a mile every twenty minutes you would need to walk for one hour. That's it. You don't need to engage in crazy diets or buy fancy weight machines or do expensive exercise classes. Get yoursel;f to 10,000 steps a day and you will make yourself fit enough to be healthy. Mind you, you're likely to still be heavier than you want to be, but that is an aesthetic issue, rather than a health one.

Mr. Schatzki explains all this in direct, punchy prose. He provides pointers to the research on the topic but does not drown you in it. It's an exemplary piece of informational and motivational writing.